Educational apparatus



Feb. 16, 1960 P. J. DI LAURO EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 10, 1956 w jk w.

INVENTOR. PHTR/CK J D/Lm/Ro HTTO P. J. DI LAURO EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS S'SheetS-Sheec 2 Feb. 16, 1960 Original Filed Sept. 10, 1956 m w w T/ W0 1 K m m P III I H TTORNEY Feb. 16, 1960 Original Filed Sept. 10, 1956 P. J. DI LAURO 2,924,889

EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.5

mavrox PHTRICK J. DILH RO HTTORNEY I United States Patent" EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS Patrick J. Di Lauro, Waterbury, Conn.

Continuation of application Serial No. 608,854, Septemher 10, 1956. This application July 3, 1959,, Serial No. 824,817

1 Claim. (Cl. 35-9) reel and caused to pass under a question window.

and an answer window, by the manipulation of a pair of rotary buttons on the side of the cabinet, and which also has means to indicate whether the opinions as to said questions are right or wrong.

A further object is to provide a vertical switch button shaft which causes a slide to move longitudinally over four rectangularly arranged battery-operated lamp bulbs, said slide having transparent green and red colored corner sections to indicate whether the operator's opinions are correct or incorrect.

Another object is to provide an interchangeable roll of tape having sets of questions and answers on opposite sides respectively, and having staggered perforations on the edges thereof through which a pair of metallic spring fingers are adapted to make contact with an un-.

derlying metallic plate, which roll is prepared in advance to correspond with the educational level of the persons using the apparatus.

A further object is to provide an educational apparatus of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efiicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. Irepresents a perspective view of the cabinet, as viewed from the top thereof.

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view of the same, with the cover plate removed, and with the side of the cabinet partly broken away to illustrate the mechanism therewithin.

Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, and partlybroken away,illustrating the construction of the ends of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the cabinet, with the cover plate and tape roll removed, to show the appearance of the apparatus in the lower part of the cabinet.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the detachable insert member located at the rear of the cabinet for containing the illuminating bulbs and the electrical connections therefor.

Fig. 6 is a schematic electrical wiring diagram of the apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sliding switch memher and transparent colored slide.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates a rectangular cabicured to the top of the cabinet, and having four small rectangular rear windows 14, 15, 16 and 17.

The cover plate 13 is also provided with a pair of larger rectangular windows 18 and 19, indicating question and answer respectively, said windows being located at the front of the cabinet.

In order to indicate whether the operator believes the questions to be true or false, provision is made of a rotary switch operating button 20 located on the top of the cabinet at the front end thereof (Fig. 1), said button being mounted upon the upper end of a vertical cam shaft 21.

The insert 11 is provided with a horizontal shelf 22 and a pair of vertical end walls 23, 24, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Mounted .upon the shelf 22 are a pair of angular light shields 25, 26 for four light bulbs 27, 28, 29 and 30, mounted in a lamp block 31. The shell contacts of all of these lamp bulbs are grounded.

Provision is also made of a top slide 32 having a pair of diagonally arranged transparent green corner sections 33, 34, and a similar pair of diagonally arranged transparent red corner sections 35, 36, said slide 32 being rigidly connected to a sliding double throw switch 31a which is operated by the sliding of an upstanding post 48.

In order to connect the bulbs 27, 28, 29 and 30 to the operating parts of the apparatus, provision is made of five wires 37, 38, 39, 4t 41 arranged as shown in Fig. 5. The wires 38 and 39 are joined by binding screws 46, 47 to connecting plates 46a and 47a respectively.

Provision is also made of a pair of upper horizontal flexible contact strips 42, 43 which are connected to the opposite wires 41, 40 respectively, said strips having circular contact buttons under the tips thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The numeral 43a (Figs. 3 and 5) indicates a vertical flexible contact strip connected to the wire 37. Provision is also made of a pair of binding posts 44, 45 (Fig. 5) connected to the wires 41 and 40 respectively. 7

The vertical post 48 is rigidly mounted upon the rear end of a narrow slide member 50 which is located beneath a metallic roll insert 49 located at the forward end of the cabinet.

The slide member '50 is urged forwardly, or to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, by means of a pair of diverging coil springs 51, 52, each of which is connected at its rear end to the slide 50, and at its forward end to a cross-bracket 53 secured to the bottom of the roll insert 49. Three conductive cross connector springs 31b, 31c and 31d are provided in the sliding switch 31a, as shown in Fig. 7.

The slide 50 is adaptedto move freely within a guide bracket 54, and has a reduced forward end 50a.which is engageable by a rotary arcuate horizontal plate cam 55 mounted upon the bottom of the cam shaft 21, .previously mentioned.

The. rotary forward cam 55 is provided with a cam edge 56 which is adapted to engage the reduced end 5021 of the slide 50 for causing said slide to move rearwardly when the button 20 is turned counter-clockwise and forwardly when said button 20 is turned clockwise.

standing guide frame 63, and engaged at its lower end 58a with a semicircular upstanding flange 60 on the front of the cam 55, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The front cam flange '60 of arcuate shape has its ends slide switch 31a (Fig. 7). such that when the operator turns the button 20 counterclockwise, to indicate that he thinks the questionistrue,-

reduced in height, and the vertical lever 58 is in if a counterclockwise direction '(as-shown'in Fig. 3) -by-=an inclined coiled pull spring 61 connected to the frame 63. The bottom of the post 21 is surrounded by a coil spring 62 (Fig. 3;) :which causes the-cam 55 to-return toaneutral position after it has heenioperated in aclockwise or 'counterclockwise-direction,=respectively.

The guide frame 63 is provided with a pair of -ve'rtically spacedbearings 64, 65 for the po-st2 1.

Thev questions and answers are located-on opposite sides of a rollo'f-tape 66 which is adaptedto-beiaassedaround four horizontal top rollers 67,--:68:, '69, and 70,-and a pair of horizontal bottom rollers 71, -7 2,"in the -man-ner shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The tape 66 is fed from a feed-reel 73 to a take up reel :74, being threaded aroundi, the rollers- 68, 67, 71, 72, 69, 7E) asshown in-the drawing, s'o thatboth -thequestions and :the answers will be visible through -the= large '-forward windows 1'8, 19 in the cover plate.

The tape 66 is provided on its 'opposite edges with a plurality of spaced staggered circular contactholes 75, 1-76 .(Fig. 2) and said tape' is adapted to be advanced in opposite directions :by means of a -pair of horizontal manually operated turningibuttons 77"and 78, respectively, located on theside-of the cabinet (Fig. *1).

Provision is also made of a-pairof vertical stop screws '79, 79a (.Fig. 4) for limitingthe rotation-oflthecam 55, by engagement with the'guide frame 63. Moreover, -a conductive platerstl (Fig. 3 -at-thetop ofthe-rollfinsert 49, and located under theztape: 66,is engageable bythe spring ,fingers42 and 43, .whenever -one-of the staggered holes 75 or 76 comes into alignmentwith -a contact but- .ton on the tip of one of said fingers.

One example of a question-which may be printed on the' top of thetapeiis: -Is Nippon anothermameforlndie? The correct answer to this-question-is False, its

another name for Japan, which answer is printed on the reverse side of the tape ata proper .spacing from the .question, so that it will be visible through the front win- -dow 19 when the true or false button 20 is turned to either of its extreme positions.

The post $8 is rigidly connected at its upper end to the The circuit connections are the light will show green through the transparent'sect-ion '-'33,under the left windows .14 or 16, if his opinion is ac- -tually correct, and red from the transparent section 36' if i incorrect.fIf the button 20'is turned clockwisetoindicate the operators opinion that the question is false,

then thesection 34 will-show green-through the-right :-.windows 17 and 15 if he is correct, and the section 35 :will show red through said windows 17 and-15 ifhe is' incorrect. Itwill be understood that in -either -case,-the}il- :lumination of. the green transparentsection'indicates that theoperator is right inhis guess, and the illumination of the red transparent section indicates that his guess is i wrong.

, Operation When the button20 is turnedeitherclockwise orcoun- I *ter-clockwise, an electric circuitewill be clos d, whenever one of the staggered holes '75 or 76 in theedg s of the .roll of tape. 66, is under a button of the'gflexible switch contact stripsi42 01'243, causing the lampson the right or ae a ss left side of the insert 11 respectively to light up. Moreover, when the .button' 20:1 eachesitsext-reme travel in either direction, the lower end of the lever 58 will drop into the depressed ends of the cam edge and due to the ac- 5 tion of the coiled spring 62 the slide 57 will be moved toward the left or forwardly as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, to uncover the answer.

It will be understood the true or false button 20 will normally be returned to its cen traLneutral position,

by means of the coil spring '62 surrounding the shaft 71, the motion of said button being limited by the stop screws 79, 79a.

To further -clarify theoperationof the apparatus, it may be stated that the sliding combination switch 31a a-nd the color slide 32 rigidly conne eted,therewith, will be moved rearwardly when the button is turned in a counterclockwise direction. When the button 26 is turned to a clockwise direction, the cam 55 and the springs 51, 5.2 Willallowthe :slide 50- -to nove iorwardly, causing the 20 slides 31a .nnd-ifl-to-also move-forwardly. When the slide 3J1a -'has- -reached its-full tr-avel, the switch will be turnedon to'con-nect -the-wire 37 to the vertical flexible contactstrip;;i3a,=which is electrically connccteclwith the -metallic roll insert .49, thus energizing the conductive plate fitllocatedlunden-the tape 66.

This=application=isa continuation of my prior application, Serial No. 60%,854, filediSeptember 10, i956, entitled fiEducational Apparatusfnow abandoned.

While there has been. disclosed in this specification one formdnwhichthe: invention maybe. embodied, it is to be understood A that :this a form .is shown for the purpose of illustration only, andthatthe.irivention is not limited to 4 the specific disclosure, butniayibe modified and embodied in various other equivalent.formswithout departing from its spirit; In short, the invention includes. all the modifications and embodiments coming .withinltherscope of. the following claim.

Having thus..- fully described .the invention, what is claimed as new, and' forwhich it is desired to secure Let- 40 ters Patent is: i

In aneducationall apparatus, .a cabinetwithin which is .mountedia rolL-of. tape carrying onopposite. sides a. series of questions and answers respectively, a. covermernber for said. cabinet having questionliand fanswer windows =nearthe forward. -end thereof, .avhorizontalfeed roll and -.a horizontaltake -up ;roll connectednwith said tape, the

- edges of saidtape having staggered rows; of. spaced apertures, a hand operated knob rigidly mounted-Qua verttical' shaftand located abovesaid-Cover member, an an- :swer hslide openatively, connectednwith:said .knob-normallyrcovering said answer vwindow.-.but=uncovering it whenever said knob is turned in either direction, a metallic conductive plate under said cover member,.a ;pair of gdownwardly =pressing vspring :fingers located above said tape, and in alignment withsaid rows ofapertures, respec- =tively,.-.a transparent slide; having difierently colored dinagonally.arrangedsections at the. rear of said cover mem- ''ber land tmovableiforwardlyqor; reanvardly in response to the turning of said knob, a rotary cam formoving said; slide rearwardly when said'knob is turned counterclockwise and forwardly. when said :knob is turned clockwise, and electrically operated illuminatingmeans; below :the colored. sections of said slide andcooperating there- --withto indicatewhether the operatorsopinion. is correct 5 or incorrect. Y

,Beierences Cited in the file of this patent -UNITED STATES PATENTS 

